Tak e minu learn SIGNS page 4 It's never been easier to subscribe to The Jewish News - and be able to find out what's happening in your community and your neigh- borhood. About local Jewish events that have an impact on you - and 6C;c - MO4 your children. ssresi ''n o sv By calling our new, automated subscriber services number, in fika so Itett° y t.1 "MS10t. RISMESS' Mii'VAR HEROES- 11.3f .03 ht,4:.?..E. •••••:., • ,; • - .c- Ort IMSIM DETROITI BEZ4V.AW.S. V.,10 1,0P. 014:.-DiES Lai BER1V. ACMISI orturam I think that it is time for Amer- ican Jews to respond to this kind of shallow dismissive attitude about politics and politicians, whether we hear it on talk radio or read it in The Jewish News. In truth, of course, we know that is- sues do matter to the protection of our religious and political free- doms as well as to our economic well being, our access to the courts and a whole host of other facets that impact on our coun- try, our people and our families. At this point in our history es- pecially, there is a world of dif- ference between the political parties. Beyond significant par- tisan differences, there are often enormous differences between the people within the same par- ty. In any primary or general elec- tion, an informed voter who makes the effort to find out can discern differences among the candidates in integrity, intelli- gence, past accomplishments, val- ues, and, yes, important differences on important issues. Having spent half a lifetime in politics before retiring from it, I am anything but naive about the shortcomings of too many candi- dates and officeholders. Howev- er, our democracy depends on an active citizenry that will go be- yond lawn signs to learn about candidates. America will do bet- ter if we make both informed and specific criticisms of people who are willing to serve in public of- fice, rather than dismiss them all with a simplistic broad-brush con- demnation. Lana Pollack Ann Arbor . .. . ............... role To Build Auto invasion ' • CLOSE•UP ° o - Va. • • • • • FASTEN YOUR SEATBELT HERE'S ISRAEL IN THE 21 CENTURY one minute you can arrange to have 52 issues of The Jewish News plus 5 issues of STYLE Magazine delivered to your doorstep for the very low price of $42 ($58 out-of-state). Call 810-354-7123, ext. 333 today to begin receiving your very own Jewish News. Peace Process No College Debate James D. Besser, the Jewish News Washington correspondent, writes of the so-called peace process as if it were some sort of college debate. He laments the fact that the people apparently against what is happening sim- ply have better arguing skills and more persuasive terminology. What is going on is not a de- bate. The weekly killing of Is- raelis with a death toll far beyond that of the intifada is not debat- able. The fact that the Rabin gov- ernment does not have the support of most Israelis is not de- batable. The fact that the gov- ernment refuses to allow a public referendum on its policies or a vote in the Knesset relative to its latest redeployment is also not Letters Policy Letters must be typewritten, double- spaced, and include the name, home address, daytime phone number and signature of the writer. debatable. The fact that Rabin runs the country like a police state with hundreds of Israelis arrested and jailed for political protest is not debatable. The fact that Israel's balance of payments is worse than ever as is its treat- ment by the European Union — boycotting the Jerusalem 3000 celebration, continuing to supply Israel's enemies with the most so- phisticated of lethal weapons and imposing awful trade terms on Israel — is not debatable. The fact that Israel's ability to deal with terrorism and that its terri- torial security has been ir- reparably damaged is also not debatable. What is debatable is the Left's self-serving trumpeting of the "peace process" as a success — by what stretch of ideological imag- ination? J.S. Kaufman Bloomfield Hills WAGING page 5 battling each other for funds, cre- ating deep religious, ethnic, gen- der and racial animosities which will further polarize our society. Opposition to any scheme to fund private schools with public money is not an abstract exercise in constitutional absolutism, but is a defense of a core principle of American democracy that has been central to the survival of every religious minority in this country. The war on public schools is be- ing waged even though polls show that public schools do a good job educating most of their students, and that most parents are pleased with the schools their children attend. The attitude of the general public on this subject is very similar to its attitude con- cerning our political institutions. Most individuals surveyed have a strong negative attitude toward Congress and the Legislature, but have a favorable attitude about their particular legislator or member of Congress. A strong public-school system has been a fundamental strength of this country. No one is so naive as to suggest that there is not room for improvement in our public schools. However, we must be very careful not to establish an educational system which un- dermines our traditional notion of separation of church and state, and which would send our chil- dren on an uncharted course based on untested theories that sound simple but are simply wrong. Do not let the so-called re- formers discard a constitutional principle and an institution which have served this country and our state well. ❑